


Three times Jimmy and Brian were with the Mirror of Erised

by thenerdyantelope



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Hogwarts AU, M/M, Mentions of Bev Katz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 08:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2060889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenerdyantelope/pseuds/thenerdyantelope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU: Upon finding it,  Jimmy and Brian had made a tradition out of sitting with the Mirror of Erised once a year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three times Jimmy and Brian were with the Mirror of Erised

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [the Prellernet](http://prellernet.tumblr.com/) as a part of week three's prompts.

** One **

The two first years found themselves in a darkish room, their Ravenclaw ties hanging loose as the taller one dragged the other boy over to the mirror.

“See I told you it was real.” Brian said indignantly.

Jimmy’s eyes grew wide with interest, “Oh my god it _is!_ ” He said excitedly, “The actual Mirror of Erised. I never thought they’d keep it _here_ though.” He touched it fascinated by its golden frame.

“It’s cool,” Brian asked staring into it and seeing himself surrounded by his family, with handfuls of medals and all of them beaming proudly at him. His heart panged, Jimmy was right, it really did show you what you most wanted in the world. And for Brian that was to feel like he was wanted by his family, that they were _proud_ of him. His voice caught in his throat and he swallowed back his emotion as Jimmy interrupted him, sounding just as harrowed as he felt.

“What do you see?” He asked quietly.

Brian panicked, not wanting to tell Jimmy about the true nature of his woes, “I got on the quidditch team, I’m the new keeper,” He lied, giving his friend a disheartened smile, “What about you?”

Jimmy gulped, what he really saw was him in a world without his twin, his parents showering him in admiration and himself in a Gryffindor tie. Since he and Danny were muggleborn they’d not known about the differences in the houses, Danny had gone to Gryffindor while Jimmy had ended up in Ravenclaw. They’d quickly learned the history of the houses and since then Danny had been driving Jimmy up the wall with the letter’s he’d been sending to his parents about how fantastic Gryffindor were.

“I came top of the class in herbology, Professor Longbottom’s told me to go into the field.” Jimmy smiled at Brian, knowing that he could see straight through the lie.

Brian snorted, “Like that’s not gonna happen anyway,” He shoved his friend lightly, “Come on. Let’s go before Filch catches us. I don’t fancy detention.” The pair left the mirror, both feeling shaken by the true insight into themselves.

** Two **

Jimmy and Brian sat in front of the mirror, hands intertwined, seventh years now and just about to complete their N.E.W.T.s. They’d finally got together that year after Brian had been in the triwizard tournament, Professor Flitwick insisting that Brian take Jimmy as his date to the Yule Ball. It had become tradition that once a year they came and spent some time with the mirror, in their fourth year they’d been honest with each other, telling them what they both saw. As they sat now, a pained silence tainted the room.

“Do you see her too?” Jimmy asked quietly, as he stared at what he saw in the reflection. Beverly Katz grinned back at him, her Hufflepuff tie tied around her head, the very image of Bev on their last evening together a few weeks ago; they’d spent it out by the lake, throwing fish she’d stolen from the kitchens into it for the giant squid to eat.

Brian nodded heartbreak evident in his voice, “Yeah. I do.” He saw Beverly laugh at the pair of them, shaking her head the way she always did when she thought they were being stupid.

What had happened to Bev was still a mystery. Brian had won the tournament, and trio had spent the evening by the lake. The next morning Bev was missing and had been ever since. It was Professor Sprout who had sat down and delivered the news, apparently they’d sent search parties and _all sorts_ to look for her, but they’d had no success. The news had torn their hearts out; Brian had spent his time curled around Jimmy in their dorm, while his boyfriend had sobbed into his shoulder, yearning for their best friend to be found.

And now, seeing her again, see her _smiling_ again, was all too much. Brian shook, his hand clutching Jim’s as he felt his chest tighten. Tears tugged at his eyelids as he whined quietly, Jimmy pulling him into a hug and holding him close as he started to cry into his shoulder.

“It’s okay Bri,” Jimmy whispered, pressing a kiss to Brian’s curls as he stared at Bev, “We’ll be okay.”

** Three **

Brian pushed the door open, coughing when the dust clouded up around him as he stepped into the room. He stared at the mirror, avoiding his reflection, concentrating on the intricate pattern on the frame which he knew so well. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the mirror, his stomach dropping when he saw what was reflected.

Jimmy smiled at him, as his hand entwined with Brian’s in the mirror, they were both wearing suits and Brian quickly noticed it was the day that never came, that day that broke his heart, the day he planned in his head for months but never asked Jimmy about.

Their wedding day.

He’d got the ring and everything, and was just plucking up the courage to propose when Jimmy had been taken from his life. They’d been helping out aurors part time on the case of Beverly Katz, which had been blown wide open upon the discovery of some new evidence about her disappearance.  But they delved too deep into the dark wizard Lecter’s past and Jimmy got hurt. Brian still had nightmares about that evening, the evening he’d watch Jimmy slowly destroy himself under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Brian would never forget what he saw, never forget the six torturous days he’d then spent in St Mungos, watching Jimmy slowly and painfully drift away from him.

That was eight years ago now.

After Jimmy’s death Brian had taken up work at Hogwarts, become the potions master for the school-his speciality was in healing potions, and he’d invented the very potion that would have cured Jimmy had they known about it at the time. But even now, as he stared at his reflection he realised this bought him no relief. _He missed Jimmy_. He missed his smile, he missed the way he used to tell him about flobberworms and dittany and all sorts of random wizarding crap that even as a pure blood he never knew about but most of all he missed the fact he never got to tell Jimmy how much he loved him before he died. He’d tried so hard to let go, to say goodbye while Jimmy lay in that hospital bed but he’d never got the words out. Then on the sixth day he’d woken up from a nap but Jimmy was gone. And for that, Brian would never forgive himself.

As he stared into those round brown eyes, he welled up, remembering why he’d avoided coming into this room all these years, memories of his days of Hogwarts hit him like the Reductor Curse. The time that Jimmy had tried to keep a niffler in the dorm for ‘research’. The evenings by the lake. The revision for their O.W.L.s in the common room which frequently became movie nights with the wifi they’d managed to install. All the time they’d spent in the castle were quickly relived, Brian’s chest bubbling with sobs which he forced down. _Not now._

He peered at his watch, he had five minutes before his lesson with the fourth years started. He bought his hand into a fist, his heart breaking at the way his reflection’s hand curled around Jimmy’s. He took one last look before whispering shakily _,_ “I’m sorry Jim. I miss you.” Before pulling himself away from the mirror, his hand in his pocket, curling around the ring box he never got to give.


End file.
